Users can't join online meetings in Skype for Business Online

Scoping the problem

Let's assume that you want to troubleshoot issues that occur when users try to join a Skype for Business Online (formerly Lync Online) meeting by using Lync 2010, Lync 2013, the Lync for Windows Store app, or Lync for Mac 2011. Before you start, ask yourself and any external users who are experiencing the issue the following questions:

How many users does the problem affect?

Are the users internal or external to your organization?

Can the affected users reproduce the problem on a single computer or on multiple computers?

When you have the answers to these questions, see the following table to determine the kind of issue that you're dealing with. This table is provided to help scope the problem to a certain category. However, some categories may be outside the technical support boundaries of a Skype for Business Online support engineer.

Be aware that each column and each row are mutually exclusive. That is, the issue affects either a single user or multiple users, and the issue can be reproduced either on one computer or on multiple computers.

A single user…

A single user…

A single user…

Multiple users…

Multiple users…

from inside our organization

from outside our organization

from inside our organization

from outside our organization

from both inside and outside our organization

Can't join a Skype for Business Online meeting from a single computer

Client issue

Client issue

Client issue

Client issue

Client issue

Can't join a Skype for Business Online meeting from multiple computers

User identity issue or provisioning issue

Lync federation issue or external network issue

Network issue or Service outage

Lync federation issue or external network issue

Service outage or network issue

PROBLEM

Note Most of the issues can be resolved by following the Lync Meeting join guided walkthrough and troubleshooter that's at the following Microsoft website:

If you don't experience one of the symptoms that are listed in the following table, use the scoping table in the "Scope" section to narrow the problem to a specific kind of issue. Then, you can troubleshoot the issue by following the steps that are outlined here.

Symptom

Category

Troubleshooting

When you try to click the Join Online Meeting link in a meeting invitation in Skype for Business Online, you receive one of the following error messages in Microsoft Internet Explorer:

You tried all steps in this document and still can't join the Skype for Business Online meeting. You are determined to connect to the conference, even if you can't participate in audio, video, or chat.

To resolve any client or computer issue, first make sure that the computer is up to date. The computer should have the latest operating system updates, audio and video drivers, and software application updates to make connecting to a Skype for Business Online meeting a successful experience. To do this, follow these steps:

Run Windows Update, and then verify that all optional hardware updates are installed. Specifically, make sure that video, audio, and network drivers are up to date.

Verify that Lync is up to date. Go to the following TechNet page for the latest Lync updates:

Sort by the IssuedBy column, and then look for a certificate that is issued by Communications Server.

Verify that the certificate is present and that it isn't expired.

Delete the certificate, and then try to sign in to Skype for Business Online. If you can't sign in to Skype for Business Online, go to step 2.

Remove the user’s Skype for Business Online credentials from the Windows Credential Manager. To do this, follow these steps:

Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Credential Manager.

Locate the set of credentials that are used to connect to Skype for Business Online.

Expand the set of credentials, and then click Remove from Vault.

Try to sign in to Skype for Business Online, and then type the new set of credentials.

Skype for Business Online falls back to "anonymous join" if it can't authenticate. As long as anonymous participants aren't explicitly blocked from joining the meeting, they should always be able to join the meeting.

This specific issue occurs when two users of the same Office 365 organization share the same user name (alias). Because of how Lync generates meeting URLs, two users on the same Office 365 organization who have the same user name will share the same meeting URLs. This causes the Skype for Business Online conference to become corrupted.

To resolve this issue, change the user name of one of the users who has the duplicate user name. For information about how to edit and change user accounts in Office 365, see the following Help topic:

If these troubleshooting steps don't resolve the issue, and if joining the meeting immediately is a bigger concern, use the Lync Web App. Be aware that the Lync Web App doesn't include Voice over IP (VoIP) functionality. That means that participants can only view sharing sessions. To do this, follow these steps:

Copy the Join URL from the meeting invite, and then paste it into Internet Explorer. (Warning: Don't press Enter yet.)

Add "?sl=1" to the end of the URL, and then press Enter.

Note You must have Silverlight installed to use the advanced features of the Lync Web App.

If you’re using third-party software, you may be asked to update, disable, or remove the software as a troubleshooting step. If the issue is resolved after you take one of these actions, you may be referred to the third-party manufacturer for more help or to perform additional troubleshooting.